Marina Trakhtenberg, Founder of Styles & Smiles
Names: Marina Trakhtenberg
Founder: Styles and Smiles
What's your elevator pitch? (Ie. In one sentence, what do you do?)
I am an owner of a new clothing boutique called Styles & Smiles, based in Winnetka, IL.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
I am a mother of four kids and I spent the last 15 years focusing solely on raising them. As three of them are girls, I realized that I need to show them that a woman doesn’t have to choose between her family and having a career or give up on her dreams so I decided to open my own business. With a lot of help from my husband, Ilya, Styles & Smiles opened its doors in Winnetka November 15, 2024.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
I only learned about a FoundHer organization very recently and I attended only one meeting in April, but right away I could feel that it’s a beautiful community. I loved seeing women supporting each other—being helpful instead of judgmental or snobby. It was a welcoming and warm environment and I can’t wait to become a part of that family.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I mainly work with women. I love to collaborate, work together, offer opportunities to bring their businesses/networking opportunities to my store, or organize events for them. But also, I provide a warm environment where they can find unique and high quality clothing. I help them find outfits, style, and show them that they can look beautiful even if they don’t always feel that way.
What are the first things that you did when you were starting your business?
Researched the market.
Took a deeper look to see how other boutiques are being run.
Started meeting more people.
Who is someone who has helped change or shape your business for the better and what did they do to help you?
My husband, Ilya, who is a partner in a consulting company and has a very time consuming job, helped me follow my dream and fully took upon himself to help me in the areas I had no experience in.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
Styles & Smiles became a full time gig immediately. I wanted to do something for a long time and when the idea of opening a store popped into my mind, I started working on it right away.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
I mostly handle social media myself but I do have a girl who models the outfits and creates reels for me. Honestly, I don’t see much return from it so I am still trying to figure out the secret myself.
How did you land your first client?
My first clients were my friends who wanted to support me, the first real customer was at a farmers market.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
I handpick every item myself and try to give my customers such a great service that it would make their shopping experience very positive.
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
Store events.
Sales.
Social media
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
After the pandemic, a lot of women started working from home and stopped dressing up. There became less need for cute outfits and more for sportswear, loungewear, and sweats. On top of it, less people choose to go to physical boutiques, but shop online instead.
What are three actionable tips you would give with other women who want to start a business or are just getting started?
Do your research.
Location is very important.
Customer service is everything.
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